One Doc to Rule Them All

It has been over two decades since Peter Jackson first took us to the Shire, and over a decade since we left it in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. While Warner Bros. is busy expanding the franchise with anime (The War of the Rohirrim) and the upcoming Gollum movie, Jackson himself has his eyes set on something more reflective.

In a recent interview, the legendary director expressed a strong desire to create a "mega-documentary" about the making of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. But this wouldn't just be a collection of DVD extras. Jackson envisions a comprehensive, unvarnished look at the most ambitious film production in history.

Why Now?

Jackson recently directed the acclaimed Beatles documentary Get Back, where he restored and assembled hours of old footage to tell a new story about the band's final days. It seems this experience has inspired him to apply the same archaeological approach to his own work.

"We have thousands of hours of footage that no one has ever seen," Jackson said. "The struggles, the near-cancellations, the weather, the bonds formed. It's a story of survival as much as it is filmmaking."

What Could Be Included?

Fans are salivating at the possibilities:

• The Original Aragorn: Footage of Stuart Townsend, who was originally cast as Strider before being replaced by Viggo Mortensen days into filming.
• Deleted Scenes: Plotlines involving Arwen at Helm's Deep or Sauron fighting Aragorn at the Black Gate.
• The Tech Evolution: A detailed look at how Weta Digital invented the software (MASSIVE) to create the armies of Mordor.

A Legacy Preserved

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is unique in cinema history. It was a billion-dollar gamble that paid off, winning 17 Oscars and creating the modern blockbuster template. A documentary of this scale would serve as a masterclass for future filmmakers and a love letter to the millions of fans who still re-watch the extended editions every year.

While no official greenlight has been given, Jackson's interest usually translates to reality. And let's be honest: who wouldn't watch an 8-hour documentary about the making of the greatest trilogy ever made?

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